This page is a unit within the Hōʻike o Haleakalā curriculum focused on Hawaiian coastal ecosystems. It introduces coastal habitats as connected systems with different “neighborhoods,” explores native and introduced plant and animal species, and examines how species composition and coastal environments have changed over time. The unit is designed as a four-class-period sequence and includes two activities: Coastal Inhabitants and Coastal Jeopardy Game.
Coastal Ecosystem Investigation
Students investigate Hawaiian coastal habitats by studying native and introduced coastal species, how species composition has changed since human settlement, and how plants and animals reached the islands. The unit includes making visual representations of coastal species change and playing a Jeopardy-style review game about Hawaiian coastal species.
